


Moments Before

by queenkorri



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Air Nomad Genocide (Avatar), Air Nomads (Avatar), Best Friends, Canon Compliant, Canon Continuation, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Flustered Katara, Hot Aang, Imbalance Comics, Kissing, Light Angst, Mentions of genocide, Siblings, Spoilers, Teen Romance, air acolytes, but they are def physical with each other, it's not really eventual, just not in the first chapter, probably gonna add more tags as i go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:41:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23585527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenkorri/pseuds/queenkorri
Summary: In the moments between all the action, Aang and Katara turn to each other and create some of their own.Features all the moments in the Imbalance Series that we never got to see, or were never explored, focusing on our favorite canon couple. What happens right after Aang and Katara discover what will be Air Temple Island?   What are they doing right before the factory explodes? And just where did those disguises come from?HEAVILY references the ATLA comics
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 107





	1. Moments Before Flying Over The Bay...

**Author's Note:**

> So thanks to Coronatine, I found that I had a WHOLE bunch of time on my hands. As many fans know, the 15th anniversary of the show's airing passed in February, and my love for this series was rekindled and then some after re-watching. ATLA has been one of the many few things getting me through this whole mess, and for that I am grateful. I know there are alot differing opinions on the comics, all valid (I've read enough metas to know that) but I do appreciate the continuation. The Imbalance series, though, has got to be my favorite. I've read ALOT of fics that explored the universe of the comics but none that really touch on the three most recent series (The Rift, North and South, Imbalance). I feel like there's alot of material to play with and instead of waiting for some other talented writer to do that, I decided I'd give it a try! That being said I highly suggest reading the comics, at least Imbalance, before diving into this as they are central to this fic's (loose) plot. I also GRATUITOUSLY borrow dialogue from said comics, but mostly for scene set up. Thanks for clicking and giving this a read.
> 
> Disclaimer: I have no creative rights or ownership over the ATLA franchise or the characters presented in this fic.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Moments before flying over the bay..._

“Aang, are you coming?”

A bright smile, and even brighter blue eyes pulled the boy in question out of his thoughts; Sokka’s...profound...proverb striking a chord deep within him,

_“You know what they say; trying to stop progress is like trying to stop a lion-turtle. You literally_ ** _can’t_** _stop it, because it’s huge and will_ _crush_ _you.”_

Huge and crushing… a feeling he wasn’t unused to since learning of his Avatar status but still daunting and confusing all the same.

Still, he couldn’t help but lightly smile in return at the beautiful girl beaming up at him, admiring her shortly, 

_‘His_ **_girlfriend_ ** _,’_ though it had been three years since that fateful day on the balcony of the Jasmine Dragon, he still liked to giddly remind himself just how _together_ they were at every chance he could . He turned his appraisal skyward before answering her,

“I’m not ready to turn in yet,” he replied, his mind still alight with the events of the day, _especially_ with everything he witnessed at the Business Council meeting… he needed to clear his head, “Will you go for a ride on Appa with me?” 

He turned back to her, his eyes finding her own and a part of him was sure he’d never get tired of just _looking_ at her. She was beautiful and every feature of her face and figure made every part of him warm (some parts -ahem-... _warmer_ than others…), but, truly, it was the immense peace that settled over him when she graced his presence that he craved and which she gave so readily and selflessly.

Katara was one of the only few things that made sense to him these days.

“Of course.” Came her simple reply, an easy smile settling on her face just as she grabbed his wrist and tugged him towards the beloved ten-ton flying bison. A wide smile spread across the entirety of his face at her enthusiasm. Aang’s worries momentarily forgotten, his pensive fog dissipated as his focus shifted entirely to chasing after the girl of his dreams. Then, he sped past her altogether.

“Race ya!” He yelled over his shoulder, that same wide smile plastered onto his face, before cheekily adding, “No bending!”

“No fair!” She cried out, a petulant tone coating her laughing voice, “ _No one_ can out run an airbender! With or without Bending!”

That small tidbit of Air Nomad lore having survived even a hundred years after their absence, added with the fact that it came from the lips of the great love of his life, a swell of pride crested in his chest. Aang, more than confident in his skills, was only bolstered by Katara’s teasing complaints.

“HA! Guess you're just gonna have to keep up!” 

With this declaration, his speed increased, his previous lackadaisical gait served mostly to taunt her; but, _now_ he let the spirit of competition push him towards _winning…_ even if it was just an impromptu race against his girlfriend.

“C’moooon, sweetie!” He called back, teasingly, “Make this a challenge for me!”

“Ugh, you-! I’ll show you a _challenge_!” 

They found Appa, along with Momo, a short ways away from their lodging arrangements. The two were playfully shoving the other out of the way in order to gain “first place,” (it turned out that Katara was _more than capable_ of holding her own in a race with a _way-too-cocky for his own good_ airbender without the assist of his element, no matter how light he was on his feet or how slick he was with his tongue-). It wasn’t long before a misplaced limb (did she just try to _trip_ him? And just _where_ did he think he was putting his _hands_ ? _Wasn’t this supposed to be a race?!?_ ) and a mistimed step had them both clumsily tumbling in front of the great beast, Katara spread out over Aang’s long torso while he lay sprawled beneath her. Momo looked down from on top of the great bison’s head, chattering curiously at the two humans.

They both let out a slight pained moan, their untimely meeting with the ground sudden and unexpected, leaving them with little time to brace themselves for the impact. Katara let out a sigh, her breath fanning over the exposed part of his chest; a shiver dancing down his spine at the feeling. At that, Katara nuzzled further into his figure, happy to just be in the presence of _him_. She giggled mirthfully at her own sentimental thoughts, the action vibrating throughout her whole body which in turn caused Aang’s face to bloom into a bright red, a loving smile goofily drawn along his features.

Spirits, he was _so_ in love with her.

She finally brought her head up, sharing that beaming smile with him; making very little comment of his glowing face, (though she _certainly_ noticed it, hard as it was to hide such a bright color on his pale skin. Oh yes, she knew _just_ the effect she had on him...) before standing and reaching her hand out to him in order to help him to his own feet.

After she pulled him up, his hand lingered in hers as he brought his face impossibly close to hers, a look of complete adoration across his features as he delighted in the light blush that spread on her own face (which, surely, must have matched his. He knew the effect he had on her, too...). He moved one hand to her cheek as its twin found a home on the swell of her hips, lips brushing for a tantalizing second before fully coming together. His hand idly twined into her hair while pulling her closer as he sighed into her, deepening the kiss. Her hands clutched at his shoulders as their lips moved against each other, pausing momentarily to catch her breath. She then let out a breathless laugh, her forehead resting against his own. 

“Tie?” Katara asked teasingly, her half-lidded eyes focused on Aang's lips as they swayed slightly in their embrace, completely taken with him, as if under a spell.

He always seemed to have that effect on her.

“ _Well, actualllllllly,_ ” He drawled, effectively breaking the spell as he rolled his eyes up in mock consideration. The hand entwined in her thick chocolate locks smoothed down the expanse of her back before settling on her unoccupied hip; he impishly grinned at her, “I fell closer to Appa, so, _technically_ -”

She cut him off with an affronted scoff, “Oh, for the love of-” moving away from his face but still within his embrace, she pouted playfully, “I can’t believe I let you kiss me.”

He let out a low laugh, and before she could allow him to kiss her again or for her to get distracted with just how attractive he was, or get distracted by the feeling of his taut muscles underneath her palms, or notice the strange, intriguing color Aang’s eyes turned when the sun hit them just ri-! She stepped away from him and made her way up towards Appa, the gentle creature offering his tail towards her in order to assist her onto his back. 

“And you _so did not_ fall closer to Appa! We were _tangled together_ , remember? Or did the fall make you hit your head too hard?”

“Oh, I _sooo_ did.” Aang airbent himself atop Appa’s head, turning towards the saddle just as Katara climbed into it. Momo took this as his cue to launch into the air; circling above his companions, eager to spread his wings and share in joyful flight.

“I sensed it,” The young Avatar continued in his mirth, sparing a quick glance upwards to the energetic lemur-bat before turning it back to the brown-skinned beauty making her way towards the front. Katara was _terribly_ cute when she got like this and it was all Aang could do to keep himself from kissing that adorable pout until he couldn’t kiss her anymore (and he wasn't even sure if that was really an option).

“Y’know, all knowing Avatar, deep connection to the earth, earth sense and all that.” He waved dismissively, sidling up closer to her, taunting her further as she finally settled next to him atop the bison’s head, “And if you would’ve just accepted that, I could've gotten you up on Appa _waaay_ faster.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

“Whatever.” Katara resolved, her face schooled into that of indifference, in no teasing mood (it seemed). Aang’s own teasing countenance fell before he caught the telltale sign of a poorly concealed smirk on her face. 

Try as she might to be the serious, responsible voice of reason for the gang, (which she was a lot of the time, and was truly appreciated, really!) she was also just as silly and fun-loving as he was and he was honored every day that he got to see so many sides of Katara. A smile returned to his face just as quickly as it left, this smile less playful and more admiring,

“Appa knows how to help a girl out.” Katara continued, unaware of Aang’s musing as she was completely determined to ignore that _dazzling_ smile of his (and his closeness, and his scent, and the way his arrows wrapped around his-), instead focusing on the true gentleman in their presence,

“Isn’t that right, Appa?” She pet the bison’s head lovingly and cooed at their trusted flying companion.

Said bison let out a bellowing rumble of appreciation, expressing gratitude for acknowledgement of his efforts. The two teenagers laughed freely, a “Yip yip!” thrown in between chortles launching them into the sky. Momo flew around them with a few happy noises of his own. The couple’s laughter trailed behind them, falling softly upon the ears of those residing in the city. A lucky few looked up in time to witness the flight of the only living sky bison, a chatty flying lemur, the Avatar and the Waterbending Master who brought him back from the brink every time.


	2. Moments Before Resolving to Protect and Preserve

_Moments before resolving to protect and preserve..._

Once in the air, the couple gained some distance between them and the city as Aang settled into steering position. Shortly thereafter, his pensive mood slowly began to return.

There was something about Cranefish Town that crawled under his skin and sat uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach; he just was unable to wrap his head around it. After literally stumbling upon the city a year ago in order to celebrate a traditional Air Nomad holiday founded by Avatar YangChen, the previous Air Nomad Avatar, he’d felt this _disconnect_ or _lack of_ ** _something_** (he still was unable to fully articulate what exactly that **_something_** was…). Even after speaking with Lady Tienhai and recreating the holiday with new traditions a few weeks later, the feeling had barely waned, only transformed. 

Funnily enough, as strong as this feeling of _disconnect_ was, so was this powerful calling to the city that continually pulled at him. A fact which Aang definitely attributed to his Air Nomad roots.

The whole thing was very confusing. 

Aang had never had any qualms with cities during his young travels, despite one would think considering his spiritual upbringing. In fact, in the short period of time before he learned he was the Avatar, the young monk looked forward to his trips to the cities the most. He was the first to rise for their group travels, packed and ready to go before dawn even broke. He made some of his best friends in the largest cities he’d ever seen during his solitary trips with Appa and Monk Gyatso. But, as time went on, it seemed as if cities no longer welcomed him. 

Well, at least, not in the way Air Nomads were always welcome in the time before the war, anyway.

It felt like he was being pushed out.

And not just him either. As the vessel of the Avatar spirit and protector of balance in the world, he was sensing a shift in how people lived amongst nature. Or rather, how they _didn’t_. 

It was a shift he noticed long before now. Though he knew nature always found a way and that there was always a seed that would soon turn into a mighty forest (as Katara had shown him all those years ago), he couldn't help but wonder… 

_‘What if nature had nowhere to grow?’_

It was a scary thought to consider. Aang had never experienced a life without respect to all living things and the abundance around him. He had always seen people incorporate nature into their way of life and respect the land they built their lives upon, even in great cities like Omashu! The mountainside was as much a part of the city, as the city was a part of the mountain. But in Cranefish Town, the people and nature couldn’t be _more_ separated, in his opinion. He was naturally curious about the new ways people could create inventions simply through sheer will, of course. Dreaming up something and then actualizing it in the physical realm; that part had _always_ intrigued him.

But, not so much so as to risk the sanctity of the land. 

He knew that things changed (were _still changing_ ) and that the energy of what Cranefish Town had previously meant to the Air Nomads was not lost, only… _different_. However, it was the absence of respect for the land that really rubbed him the wrong way, the young Avatar was beginning to realize.

_‘And, now all this mess with bender supremacy, added on top of everything else…’_

There seemed to be no limit to the lengths people would go to for the sake of “progress.” 

Coincidentally enough, progress seemed to become synonymous with this “no limits” attitude in the last hundred years while Aang had been trapped in the iceberg. He, honestly, wasn’t sure where or _how_ he fit in with it all.

Even, as the Avatar. 

_‘_ **_Especially_ ** _, as the Avatar...’_ he thought glumly to himself, thick brows creasing downward.

As the airbender’s thoughts continued to spiral, he spotted a significant patch of land nearby that was situated right across the city’s bay. He was delightfully surprised to see that it seemed to be untouched. The young man turned his attention towards Katara, pointing at the piece of earth, 

“There’s an island in the middle of the bay. Let’s take a look.”

This would be good for him. A place that hadn’t yet fallen victim to the “progress” of the city and all its problems was just what he needed right now.

Katara nodded imperceptibly before he took them in for a landing, his mind once again returning to his previous dilemma.

_‘I wonder if I could petition to keep the island as is… or maybe claim it as an Air Nomad Landmark…’_ He considered idly.

The tension and issues in Cranefish Town tugged at his heart like no other. The city itself was a stark reminder of the gap of time that Aang had, simply put, missed out on.

This city made him feel like a relic, an ancient artifact to be forgotten in the past.

* * *

Katara could sense that something was bothering her boyfriend.

He made no comment of Momo’s aerial tricks which, usually, amused him to no end (even the lemur himself could tell the airbender was distracted). The arrowed teen only stared straight ahead, his brows furrowed and mouth set in a fine, tight line. 

Her own trip to the Earthen Fire Industries factory with Toph was weighing heavily on her mind, leaving her with an unsettled feeling. Especially since, before that, they had ended up breaking up that fight, which occurred practically _right after_ they landed in town. Consequently, several of the city dwellers' homes were accidentally destroyed. Then, before their impromptu date (dates, of the like, which happened often seeing as her boyfriend was the Avatar, but also just spontaneous in nature), poor Aang had literally just finished sitting in on that meeting with the Business Council... 

It had been an eventful day, to say the least. 

She had a strong feeling she knew what was on his mind. Still, it was better for him to talk these sorts of things through. Aang, optimistic as he was, was also prone to getting stuck in a loop of despair when it came to his thoughts. As a healer, it was her job to find those tangles of knots in the energy flow and aid in easing that energy into a flowing, clear path.

But as a girlfriend, she really just wanted to be there for the one she loved most.

“You’ve got that look.”

They had just jumped off of Appa when she said it, deciding it best to dive right into the much needed conversation. At her observation, the young man in question raised his eyebrows, surprised both by just how lost in thought he was and that he apparently had a certain “look” on his face he was unaware of,

“What look?” He asked simply, curious as to what Katara meant by the equally simple statement. 

They began to walk through the dense woods decorating the island, leaving Appa behind to rest in the nestle of trees he landed in. The abundance of nature and undisturbed energy was already serving to alleviate some of Aang’s anxiety. He took in a deep breath, revelling in the scent of fresh, crisp air. The city was so stale and _smoggy_ in comparison, he noted to himself, his brows furrowing absently once more as the line of his mouth straightened.

“The Avatar look.” Katara remarked, lightly amused. She was a private audience to the smooth transitions of said Avatar’s countenance. No wonder he was unaware of when he was making such an expression. He slipped into it with such ease, it was hardly noticeable,

“The _‘I’m responsible for everything that happens in the world’_ look.” The waterbender’s voice dipped lowly, in a mock brooding tone. Her smile widened afterwards, tickled by her own actions.

Aang, initially, could only hum in consideration at the revelation, a brief smile flashing onto his face as he watched his beloved lemur leap from branch to branch. His smile fell thoughtfully, fingers lingering on bark as they weaved through the forest and regarded her slightly,

“Wow.” He mused shortly. “Do I really look that way?”

Katara answered only with a giggling smile and a non-committal hum of her own as they continued on. The two were content to admire their surroundings, feeling, _finally_ , as if they could breathe properly since coming in to Cranefish Town. The air quality of the city was, indeed, questionable, but this moment was the first that they had to themselves since flying in.

If they were being honest, it was the first moment Aang and Katara had had to themselves in a _while_. Before entering town that day, they had been traveling from the South Pole to Yu Dao, the former Fire Nation colony turned United Nation Coalition. The trip itself had taken them about two weeks and they were only planning to take a pit stop in Cranefish Town to rest and replenish.

Of course, all that changed once they actually entered the city and saw what it had become. More importantly, what it was _becoming_. 

Still, traveling for weeks on end with her brother, _Toph_ , (Spirits, help her, she loved the girl like a sister, but the earthbender could be so _irritating_ ) and little to no time to have Aang to herself made for a grumpy Katara. 

As they traveled and camped through the Earth Kingdom this time around, the couple had, of course, snuck off on their own every now and again. “Waterbending Training” served as a loose, but reliable excuse to be together, (wet and nearly naked, and very, very much _together_ ) but a Sokka with no Suki to keep him preoccupied found himself with more than enough time to make sure that Katara couldn't be _preoccupied_ either. Meaning that any (if not all) of her romantic endeavors were cut short, to her and Aang’s continued annoyance. So, to say that tensions were high would have been a gross and unjust understatement. She was more than happy to finally have some alone time with the handsome airbender, considering they hadn’t really spent a lot of time together as a _couple_ while in the South.

They were too busy trying to keep her father alive and keep her tribe from falling into civil mayhem.

She shook herself slightly, as if to remove the sudden melancholy mood the memory brought on. They had also had some nice moments while visiting her home, of course. She would never forget the floating feeling that rose within her when she saw Aang _finally_ returning to her from his trip in the Fire Nation. All she wanted in that moment was to meet him right up there on Appa. Instead, she settled for tackling him into a long, deserved hug once he landed. 

Everything had felt so much _heavier_ upon arriving back home with Sokka (especially after _three years_ ) and the airbender’s absence was glaring, no matter how much she tried to remind herself that he would come to her as soon as he possibly could (he _promised_ ). The relief she felt; that light, rising feeling at seeing his face and being wrapped up in his arms was something she would _never_ tire of. Even their brief time at the festival had been fun before the rebels drilled through, causing pandemonium… 

In the end, they had managed to protect her father, his new love and settle some of the unrest in the Southern Water tribe, finishing off their roller-coaster of a visit with a dinner made and shared by friends. Katara blushed lightly as she trailed after Aang. The memory of her playfully feeding the young man and him doing the same in return heating her up, just as the warm atmosphere of comfort and admiration filling her grandmother’s homey hut had.

But none of that could ever compare to _this_.

Just the two of them. 

Aang and Katara; walking through an island forest, and talking. 

No interruptions. 

No annoying siblings.

No one else.

Just her and this very _fascinating_ , sweet boy she was in love with.

So, here they were, finally, _blissfully_ alone. Sure, her boyfriend was currently worried about things that made his face twist into that “Avatar look” she had so helpfully pointed out earlier, but she was still more than happy to just be with him and share in his space. She clasped her hands behind her back, buzzing with admiration for the young man walking with her, an infatuated smile slipping on to her face.

She couldn’t help it; she couldn't get enough of him, her airbender.

The couple walked upon a clearing facing the ever growing city. It was then that Aang broke the companionable silence, beginning to explain what exactly was troubling him. The promise he made to Lady Tienhai, the time and people he’d missed out on while encased in ice and how the city was just a fresh reminder of all that. A reminder of how alone he felt and all that he faced, _still_ , even after the Hundred Year War…

And it was moments like these where her heart went out to him. The last living airbender in a world that demanded so much more of him than should be deemed possible or was hardly even fair. 

Yet, he rose to the occasion every time. 

Of course, not without trepidation, he was human, after all, despite the great power he wielded. Still, he was always so willing to _do something_ , to make an effort. Within the first few days of knowing each other, he was offering to escort her to the North Pole so _she_ could learn waterbending. Not Aang, but Katara. Though he had yet to reveal his identity as the Avatar at the time, it still baffled her just how ready he was to help her master her element. To _help_ , in general.

He regularly engaged in her brother’s sillier side. The war had buried the silly brother she knew deep under the false pretense of adulthood; heavy and awkward on his prepubescent shoulders. Yet, after traveling with the young airbender for only a few days, Sokka had unearthed the will to smile again. The young, goofy boy from the iceberg had convinced _Sokka_ to have _fun_ again, and her brother was only better for it. 

Then there was Toph, who, before meeting them, was content in her lie of a life to appease her doting, overprotective parents. Aang knew that Toph was meant to be his earthbending teacher, not despite her blindness but because of it, and now she was properly regaled as the greatest earthbender to live (though, of course, there was speculation on such a proclamation considering King Bumi’s own prowess, but the young earthbender would hear nothing of it until it could be proven to her in a proper rematch). After creating a new form of bending through sheer determination and need to return to her friends, there was no doubting the young Beifong’s mastery.

Aang saw the best in people, their humanity. He saw the best in those misguided and hurt by life, like Zuko. 

The young airbender was even able to see the best in people like _Ozai, like Azula._

The list went on and on. It was a quality of his that she admired and inspired her. Aang had only ever wanted to aid and bring joy to those around him, and it was this very trait of his that had her falling so deeply for him. Then, all those years ago, (though it only seemed like yesterday) and even more so now. She was only glad to remind him of how _not_ alone he was.

“But it isn’t the same as when _we_ first met.” Stressing that particular word to remind him of just who was there to pull him out of the ice. To remind him of who would _continue_ to be there to pull him out of the dark, freezing depths and into her arms, everytime. 

“The war is over, and you don’t have to face this alone. Toph, Sokka and I are all here with you.” 

She smiled softly as she reached her hand out for him, brightening as she felt him slip comfortably into her grasp.

He always came when she called.

Katara wasn’t just one of the only things that made sense to him these days. She also helped him to make sense of everything else that confused him. 

Just as she’d always done.

He looked to their hands for a brief moment before turning his attention to her face, lost in her natural beauty and the pure essence of _Katara_ radiating off of her. He hardly noticed the smitten, love struck smile that found its way to his lips.

“That’s true.” He tightened his grip for a moment, before lightly tugging her body closer to his. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She shared in his smitten smile, before turning back towards the horizon, the sky painted in pastel yellows and bright oranges. A pensive expression settled upon her own features as she shared her distaste for the obvious (and not so obvious) downsides of all these different people crammed together in one place; she also shared her hopes in all the good it meant to have all these different cultures living together side by side, learning from each other. Maybe things were just going to be this way now and they would have to get used to it, along with everything else...

Katara always put things into perspective for him. Just as a great, wacky friend of his had always encouraged Aang to keep his mind open to the possibilities, the Master waterbender was great at revealing just what those possibilities could be. With Katara at his side, she helped to take him out of the narrow tunnel of apprehension he sometimes found himself in, and guided him towards hope.

And he certainly did hope. He hoped that it wasn’t too late for this city, for everyone living in it, or for him. Like Katara had said, everyone was just fighting for their piece of space and to be heard. Her hand in his and fierce determination coursing through him, he swore to watch over Cranefish Town, this strange, ever transforming city. Benders and non-benders alike could live together in peace, progress and still have respect for where they came from, for the past.

He was sure of it. They had to.

“...Maybe there’s still time to help this city grow in a way that protects and preserves.” 

Katara leaned into him, her head finding a home on his shoulder as she hummed comfortably. The setting sun proudly displaying the colors of the Air Nation across the horizon as it gleamed over the city. It was as if the very spirits had heard his silent proclamation, and the airbenders of the past had signed the sky in approval, giving their very blessing.

He only pulled Katara closer, the hand he used to hold hers now finding its way to her hip. The two slid familiarly into each other, fitting like puzzle pieces. 

* * *

And for a moment, they stayed like that, basking in the glow of each other, before Aang spoke,

“I’m thinking of maybe asking the Council to protect this land in the name of the Air Nomads,” he blurted out somewhat tentatively, _recklessly_ , the idea barely taking shape in his head, “You know, whenever I get the chance, maybe after we get to the bottom of this bender violence…”

He didn’t really know _what_ prompted him to share the thought out loud, seeing as it had only occurred to him when they discovered the island no more than an hour ago. Maybe it was the color of the sky and how it reminded him of a home from long ago, in a far off time, moving further away the older he got... Maybe, it was the way the wind curled around them and how it played in his loose robes and Katara’s long, dark, thick curls. Or, maybe, it was the setting sun, and how it painted the waterbender gold. For a brief moment, he could pretend she was wrapped in the long, flowing attire of his people. He could see just how the deep oranges and bright yellows would play on her melanated skin, just as the light of the fading sun was... 

_Whatever_ it had been that pushed him to say it, he was now apprehensive to hear her thoughts since he had laid his own out in the open. Nervous that maybe he was thinking too far ahead, asking too much of the Council, which _barely_ agreed to his police force proposal, and had only done so with the help of councilwoman LiLing. More importantly, was this kind of task asking too much of his friends, of her-? 

“Really, Aang?” His girlfriend’s melodic voice cut through his racing thoughts momentarily, the question spiking his anxiety just so. His grip tightened on her hip as he continued to stare at the darkening skyline.

“I think that's a great idea.”

Aang’s brain; quick, clever and always ready to assess each angle of every situation; was too caught up in criticizing his ideas on the island to allow Katara’s admission to penetrate through the rampant _‘what if’_ s and _‘no, that’s_ **_stupid_ ** _’_ s blazing through his head.

“I’m not really too sure of the details,” He admitted, the worlds tumbling out quickly as he rubbed at his temple in frustration. He was feeling more and more as if he should’ve just kept his mouth _shut_ , “Or what I would even _do-_ but,” 

Katara could only watch him, partly in slight amusement and partly in sympathy. She was more than used to the way Aang was able to get so caught up in his own head every now and again. Aang had many worries, despite what one might think, with the airbender's care-free nature. When he got this way, he was either fretting over his mistakes of the past, the mistakes he _might_ make in the future, or some odd variation of the two. One of the lasting scars from the Hundred Year War that he carried (besides the one on his back and foot) was his fear that he would make the wrong decision, hurt those he loved and fail as the Avatar. All she could really do was let him work himself out and be there, in case he needed help. 

“Wait.” He turned his attention to her, snapping his head up so fast she heard his neck crack in protest, “You…” 

However, It was always the look of realization that fell on his face as her words _finally_ penetrated through all the others clouding his mind that would cause her to giggle. He was ridiculous, really.

“...You think it’s a good idea? Really?” His attention on her was unwavering, his steel eyes boring into hers and seeking validation only she could provide.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” She shrugged, answering simply, and Aang instantly felt the healing rush of relief wash over him. The waterbender lovingly placed her hand on his cheek, turning to face him straight on as she returned his focus as fiercely as he gave it,

“This place was obviously very important to the airbenders, to _you_. I mean, we keep coming back here!” She laughed lightly, realizing they’d been to Cranefish Town more times in one year then they’d been anywhere else (besides, the Fire Nation Capital or Ba Sing Se possibly…). 

Suddenly, the concept of building a temple on this very island, a testament to both the Air Nation and the blending of cultures that was now their life, flashed through her mind. She felt her face heat up as her mind twinkled with several other images without much more prompt. All within an instant, her head had turned this island, untouched and forested, into a home. Not only for Air Nomad history, but a home for the Air Acolytes, current and future. She briefly saw the two of them building this sacred place together, this _home_ … where he would live, where _they_ would live _together_ ; the two of them, his students, their children- 

The light heat on her face burned hotter as she silently chastised herself for getting _waaaaaay_ ahead of the situation at hand. Though… she couldn't shake the feeling the flickering images were a lot like the vision she had experienced in Yu Dao, during all the craziness that was the Harmony Restoration Movement…oddly, the prospect made her smile.

“Maybe... this is why...” She continued warmly, her voice taking on a tone that was only slightly cryptic. 

Either Aang hadn’t noticed her slight lapse in attention, (even though she had been staring right at him) or he was gracious enough to ignore it as she composed herself. The brown-skinned beauty slipped her other hand onto his unclaimed cheek, mirroring its twin. Her smile softened as she felt him wrap both of his arms about her waist. Katara was a firm believer that the world could only be better off the more that Air Nomad culture was restored. More importantly, it was the least the _world_ could do in return for all it had taken from its sole remaining member.

“You’ve given so much, Aang.” Her thumbs gliding along his prominent cheekbones as her eyes teemed over with care and her voice filled with passion, “I think it’s high time that you got to claim something for yourself.” She took a brief pause, before adding softly, “For your people.”

The airbender tore his gaze from hers, conflict etched into his features as he looked off in the direction of the city.

“But… I haven’t even _begun_ to start working on the other air temples.” He argued, guilt seeping into his veins as his grip on her waist tightened, apprehensively. Here he was, worried about Cranefish Town and what they _might_ do with an island near the mainland while the remaining Air Temples were still wasting away, despite his best efforts… 

It wasn’t that he didn’t _want_ to restore the Air Temples! _Of course_ , he did…! It was just...stepping into any one of the former homes of his people came with an emotional onslaught that he was never truly prepared for or expecting. It was all he could take during the war, seeing the devastation his people suffered as they hid from the Fire Nation… And now, three years after the war, there always seemed to be some uprising, or unrest, or any other kind of general world issue that stole his attention away… 

“There's still so much that needs to be done,” He went on, pressing the heel of his hand to his eye in frustration, “But there never seems to be a _right time_ to start and there’s something _always_ happening-”

“Aang.”

“Yeah?” He snapped his eyes back to hers, the command in her tone yielding no other option.

It was then that she took a quick moment to herself, closing her eyes briefly and taking in a steadying breath to gather her words. She decided to take a page out of Toph’s book.

“You’re right.”

She reaffirmed her hold on his face, as if to ensure he would look nowhere else but at her, her own gaze on him steady and unwavering. The position provided her with ample access to just how the blunt admission she had stated was causing his conflict to deepen, so she wasted no time in continuing, 

“It’s going to take a long time and a _lot_ of work. But I think, no, I _know_ it's more than worth it.” And at this she pulled herself closer to the young man, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, her hands dangling at the nape of his neck as he secured his arms around her waist once more. Her smile was bright and warm as she went on, 

“You, the Air Nomad culture, what you bring to this world is _irreplaceable_. Remember, sweetie, _you’re_ _not alone_.” She implored, compelled to remind the airbender of this fact as much as he needed.

“You’ve got the Air Acolytes, who are so willing to learn and assist others, I’m sure they’d help you rebuild the temples.” The waterbender continued with that same brilliant expression on her face, her slim hand idly grazing the smooth skin at the back of his head. “And I know Zuko has been trying his best to retrieve and restore what Air Nomad artifacts he knows exist in the Catacombs with the Fire Sages. I’m sure he’d help you just as you’ve helped him. We only need to take this one step at a time for now, okay Aang?”

“Yeah,” was all he could lamely offer at the moment, completely caught up in the love he felt for the beautiful girl in front of him. It was moments like this where he found himself falling for her more than he previously thought possible, and as an affectionate smile of his own slowly spread across his face to replace his previous dissatisfaction, he knew he would never tire of the feeling. 

“Yeah, thanks Katara. I...I really needed to hear that.” He shyly rubbed at the top of his head as a smattering of pink lit up his features, “You're really good at that.”

She returned his love struck smile, taking his suspended arm and returning it to her waist, kissing his nose briefly as she did so. The action relieved him of the very last tendrils of his apprehension. His body now brimming over with pure, unadulterated admiration for the young woman in his embrace. 

And like Katara had said, The Business Council, (Sokka was right, they really _did_ need to come up with a better name…) after all was said and done, was willing to approve his security enforcement ideas. Maybe, in time, this would be another one they’d agree with...hopefully… 

“Of course, Sweetie.” She gifted him with a smile that turned his legs to jello and the young Avatar absently wondered just how he was still standing on his own, “And Aang?”

“Hmm?” He tilted his head in question, mocking her own adorable habit as a lovesick smile remained plastered to his countenance.

The blue-eyed beauty reached up, her arms light around his neck as she spoke, lips grazing softly against his ear,

“Don’t forget.” She whispered lowly, “You’ll always have me, too. Okay?” She didn’t pull away right away, taking a moment to take in his clean, woody scent and relish in the shiver that ran down his spine.

“Y-yeah. Right. Got it. I-I won’t forget. Noted.”

She giggled, and to his mild relief, took a step back, her hands moving from his neck to rest on his shoulders, “You’re so cute.” 

“I-Hh-What?” Aang sputtered.

At this point, she laughed outright, his mystified features delighting her, “We’ve been dating for how long now? And you still get so _flustered_ ,” She admitted with a satisfied smile. “I dunno, I think it's cute. Flattering, y’know? That I have that effect on you.” The young waterbending beauty graced him with a half-lidded look before succumbing to her mirth, giggling musically.

She wasn’t looking for it so when Aang pulled her flush to him, both of his hands on her hips gripping her tightly, and _kissed_ her... He effectively silenced her small sound of shock, and it was all Katara could do to remain standing as her knees mysteriously turned to jello.

Just as quickly as it began, he ended the kiss, grinning mischievously, “At least you can't say I don’t have the same effect on you.” He let out, sounding only a tad breathless. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she shoved him playfully as a blush arose on her cheeks.

“Ugh, you are _hopeless._ ”

“C’mon, Katara.” The playful airbender continued his teasing, drawing out her name in a way he knew got under her skin _just so_ , “Only thing hopeless about me is how _hopelessly_ in love with you I am.” He remarked in a low drawl, his half lidded eyes scanning her scandalized face and barely containing his amusement.

“And sappy, _ridiculously_ sappy!” She shoved him again lightly, laughing besides herself as he kept his grip firm on her hips, the distance between them barely existent. Aang’s face broke out into an all out grin, obviously delighting in their banter, before retorting, 

“I seem to recall a certain waterbender-”

“Would you _please stop_ teasing me and kiss me properly?” Said waterbender cut him off with a put upon pout, rolling her eyes in annoyance. 

Her boyfriend was _insufferable_ , and all she wanted to do was kiss him silly so he could finally _shut. up._ He laughed deeply, amused at the Southern Water Tribe woman’s antics, before turning his attention to her mouth. Her pout served only to accentuate her naturally plump lips and he found that he could never really deny her anything, not for long anyway. The tattooed young man drew her closer, bringing his face to hers and mingling his breath with hers.

“Only if you ask me again.” He said dazedly, his tone seductive and deep. The airbender couldn’t help himself, the novelty of being allowed to do such an action had yet to wear off. He doubted it ever would.

She huffed impatiently, tightening her arms around his neck to bring them closer, before relenting, 

“Kiss me? Please?”

He didn’t answer, not verbally anyway. He took her lips in his, caressing the soft, pliant skin as his hands traveled from her hips. He wound his arms around her waist, pulling the waterbender just that much closer. Her arms secured themselves about his shoulders, tightening their embrace as she deepened the kiss with a sigh, allowing his tongue brief entrance. She then stifled a giggle, remarking to herself just how much she and her airbender liked to kiss under a setting sun. The stars were now barely twinkling into existence as twilight began to grace the sky. 

“What?” He asked absently. Not really expecting her to answer, he continued to kiss her, dragging his tongue along her lower lip,

“Mmn, just thinking about our first kiss as a couple…” She moaned, introducing her own tongue to his. She allowed him momentary entrance into her mouth once more, before he pulled away, to her dismay. She barely contained a whine at the seperation, these short kisses were doing nothing for her at the moment. Katara wanted more… more of him...

“You think about that?” He asked suddenly, his eyes searching hers imploringly. Aang had no doubt of the depth of love that Katara felt for him (as opposed to before the war ended, when everything about them was so uncertain... ) and he was confident in their relationship, but what boyfriend wouldn’t love to hear that his girlfriend still thought about the kiss that began it all. Especially considering all that it took for them to have a beginning… 

She couldn’t really blame him. Though, she tried.

“I think about all your kisses. Especially this one, right now.” She tossed out carelessly, taking her hand and placing it on his pink cheek, tracing her thumb over his lips. _‘Y’know the one you keep interrupting?’_ She added to herself petulantly, tugging the airbender by the chin before continuing, “Didn’t I tell you to kiss me properly?”

“Heh, sorry,” He said looking very much _not_ sorry, if his lack of lips on her own was any indication to go by, “It’s just nice to hear, I guess. That you think-”

“That I think about it just as much as you do?” She finished off for him. The pad of her thumb tapped almost rhythmically against his mouth.

“Yeah… ” He replied distractedly. The waterbender had him hypnotized, totally and completely under her spell. She pulled him closer, aligning her body with his and settling her curves into the pockets of his own.

“You wanna know what I think right now?” Katara’s tone was silky, _intoxicating_ , drawing him in to her easily.

“What?” The tall, arrowed teen gasped out, his voice raspy with anticipation.

“That you talk too much.” 

The young woman gave him no time to respond, kissing him hard and swallowing his already forgotten reply. She kissed him with all the pent up need that she had buried underneath as they traveled from her birthplace through the Earth Kingdom. It was beginning to settle into her just how _alone_ they were, just how much she _missed_ his touch, and just how _not_ alone they’d be when they eventually would leave this island behind to go sleep at their arranged lodgings. She could only hope that Aang might steal away to her room later that night in hopes for a moment of privacy and to sleep in her arms.

She flushed herself totally against him, the action causing them to bump into the sturdy trunk of a nearby tree and flaring the tempting heat between them. _‘Now, this…’_ The waterbender thought idly to herself as she palmed the muscles in the young man’s neck, _‘This is more like it…’_ Aang hoisted her up by her thighs, her legs instinctively securing about his waist as he switched their positions and pressed her against the tree. He trailed his large hands up and down her legs, occasionally gracing the underside of her plump behind. She let out a noise of approval, and tugged him closer, moving her mouth against his hotly.

They stayed like that for a while, wholly absorbed by their partner as the tension from weeks of travel came to a head. It was only the rough bark of the tree that kept Aang grounded, even as his girlfriend (his very _beautiful, wonderful, loving girlfriend_ ) began to lightly grind against him. Maybe, if they had been at any other place... at any other time, he would-... 

“We-” He ripped his mouth away from hers suddenly, dismissing the thin string of saliva that remained connected between them for a faint second. Night had fallen in their ardor, and no matter how accepting her brother was of their relationship, the swordsman wouldn’t appreciate them staying out any longer than they had. Not only him, but Toph and her father would begin to worry if they stayed away for too long. 

And they called Katara a buzzkill.

The airbender had stepped away from the young Water Tribe woman, in order to compose himself, gently releasing her as he cleared his throat, “We should get back.”

She sighed, running her hands through her disheveled hair, picking out the odd leaf or twig before agreeing, “You’re right. I don’t want you to be, but you are.” She gifted him a reluctant grin, looking up at him shyly from underneath her long lashes.

“I enjoyed myself, though.” Katara admitted softly.

Aang smiled brightly, taking her hand in his and leading her down the path they followed earlier to their cliff side view of the city. His eyes glittered darkly; their light grey reflecting the deep color of their surroundings as he admired the waterbender beside him, before sparing her a quick kiss to her cheek,

“Me too.”

* * *

They leisurely strolled back to where they left Appa, the flying bison rousing from slumber as they approached. Momo, having returned from his island exploration some while ago, was now also resting peacefully in the saddle. The couple greeted the flying bison with connected hands, swinging their limbs lightly between them. The airbender bent them both on top of the gentle beast before they settled into each other once more. Katara leaned into Aang as he picked up the reins and gave out a “Yip Yip!” that launched them into the dark, night sky. They sat in comfortable silence, Katara’s arms wrapped around one of Aang’s, his head resting against hers. 

“Thanks.” The word came out so quietly, had she been any further, the waterbender wouldn’t have even known he said anything.

“Hm?”

“For this.” He continued with a shrug, “For riding Appa with me. Helping me sort out my thoughts. For… everything.”

She very well knew what “everything” meant. He was taking this moment to not only thank her for today, but for everyday they had been together; for every day since she had pulled him out of the iceberg… Her eyes wavered with emotion, before unwrapping one of her arms from around his. She placed her free hand on his cheek, turning his face towards hers and placing a short, soft kiss on his lips. Moments like this were not rare. In fact, it was their frequency that had her overflowing with adoration for the young man beside her.

“I’ll always be here for you, Aang.” She gave him one last kiss, before nuzzling back into his shoulder and turning her focus towards the city skyline.

It was clear that Cranefish Town was shaping out to be something the likes of which their world had never seen. Yet, the young Water Tribe woman felt content in knowing that this place would be another example for the bringing together of nations. She felt a strong connection to this place, too and though it didn’t look like it now, she knew this place would be a welcoming home to all types of families. People of all nations, benders and non-benders; they were _already_ living together, now, they just had to figure out _how._

This place would eventually be home to families like the one Katara shared with Aang and their friends, like the one she was looking forward to creating _with_ Aang.

The couple flew over the bay, content with the company of their flying bison companion, the snoring lemur-bat in the saddle, and the glittering, inky, blue-black sky above them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This installment was probably the longest of what I have planned for this little series and was probably my favorite, overall, to write. I'd always wondered what happened after Aang and Katara found that island and thought it would be fun to make Katara's penchant for visions a regular thing. That sort of thing just comes with dating the Avatar, right 😂? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and please leave a comment to let me know what ya think! Stay safe!


	3. Moments Before Going to Bed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there be banging in this one. If that's not your thing, then avert your eyes, though it's pretty vanilla. Just two teenagers in love, that's it. That's the whole story.

_ Moments before going to bed... _

“Sooooo…”

A long silence followed; the rustling of clothes the only audible sound worth noting.

“What else do you think about?”

The question came from a shirtless, arrow-tattooed teenager whose wandering eyes were shamelessly lingering on the lithe figure of the young woman in front of him.

“You’re gonna have to be a little more specific, Sweetie,” came Katara’s reply.

She was changing into her night clothes as Aang reclined on her bed, the latter watching her remove her day wear attentively. He had snuck into her room (just as she hoped he would). This part of their nightly routine had become habit about a year or so after they began dating. 

The two had camped and slept near each other on Appa for so long during the Harmony Restoration Movement, it felt weird when they happened to find the occasional housing (courtesy, usually, of an overzealous nobleman) for them to sleep so far apart. The first time he’d snuck into her room, he’d done so without speaking about it with her first. The young Avatar had been more than a little embarrassed at the realization that he was unable to sleep peacefully unless his girlfriend was next to him. 

So, he resolved to slip under her covers next to her as she slept and to be gone before she even woke, relieving them both of any undue awkwardness. Of course, that all went out the window just as much as he had when she mistook him for an intruder and waterbent him back out of the room. Where that amount of water came from, land locked in that Earth Kingdom city as they were, he wasn’t quite sure. Aang knew his girlfriend was a bit of a night owl, but thought that surely she would be asleep, hours after midnight as it was. Or at the very least,  _ not _ practicing waterbending forms. Of course, he should have guessed, it turned out she couldn’t sleep much, either. After a very awkward conversation that bordered into lecture territory between the soaked Avatar and the flustered waterbender, the couple slept comfortably side by side and had ever since. 

Sneaking around Sokka was easy enough; no one had lighter steps or was better at stealth than an airbender. To Katara’s own credit, as the elder teen’s little sister, she was no stranger to the idea (considering the many tricks she pulled on him in her pre-teen years), but they found little need or want to do such a thing. As much as the Water Tribe Warrior complained about their “oogies,” he very rarely chose to intercede in their romantic endeavors. As long as he wasn’t an unwilling audience to their displays of affection, he didn’t really care or think too much about what they did while they were alone. Even so, the worst the older sibling ever did was groan loudly in mock disgust and make loud, obnoxious kissing sounds. Nothing a water whip to the hide or an air blast to the face couldn’t fix.

No, the sneaking was more so for the sake of their host and propriety rather than a certain Water Tribe sibling. 

Aang let his gaze trail along the waterbender’s toned, shapely physique as she walked to her bed, covered in a light blue tank top and matching loose pants, before he spoke,

“You said earlier that you think about us kissing.” He settled onto his side as the waterbender slipped under the sheets, facing towards him. He laid a gentle hand on the swell of her hip, smiling softly, “I was wondering what else you think. About us.”

Katara rolled her eyes playfully, pillowing her hands beneath her cheek. He really was  _ impossible _ . “You really just like it that I think about you so much, don’t you?”

Katara found that the older they grew, the more the attractive airbender invaded her thoughts. 

Hmm, no, that wasn’t really quite right… She had always cared about the boy. The teen fretted over him when he would go off on his own and would, self-admittedly, hover over him in their earlier days (she still did). That kind of action didn’t come without her own musings on the young man and the… effect he had on her. So, while the amount of space he occupied in her brain remained relatively the same, the way she thought about him definitely changed. She caught herself staring at the hard, defined planes of his naked chest before returning her attention to Aang’s face. She silently hoped that he hadn’t noticed the gesture.

Of course, he had.

Yes… the way she thought about the young man in her bed definitely changed over the years.

“Guilty.” The cocky teenager smirked suggestively. Katara did not fail to catch the double entendre.

“Vain, is more like it,” she retorted, shaking her head, “And here I thought you weren’t letting girls’ attention get to your head anymore.” She raised her eyebrow in something akin to mock disapproval, though the smile on her face betrayed any seriousness in the quip,

“I’m not.” 

He said it with such conviction, gazing at her in that way that always made her breath hitch, “Your attention, however?” The airbender took that moment to drag her closer, his grip tightening on her hip as he pulled her flush against him. His face was impossibly close to hers; cool breath fanned against plump, brown lips as the grey eyed teen admitted, “That’s a very different story.”

His voice took on a husky, compelling tone that created shivers all throughout her body, starting in her breast and tingling down to her toes. Katara, suddenly, found herself very flustered,

“Oh goodness...”

Aang had always been naturally charming. It seemed, the more he grew into himself, the more her tolerance to his good looks combined with his selfless, playful nature had either dwindled or (to her ever growing embarrassment) had never existed in the first place. If she were honest with herself, she would admit it was the latter. She ducked her head under his chin to escape those entrancing eyes of his and found herself only flushing hotter as the muscles in his neck contracted slightly. 

It really wasn’t fair that he could make her melt like this. Not at all.

“C’mon...” He nudged his nose into her loose hair, reveling in the softness of her tresses and the sweet smell of lily water, “You’re stalling.”

“I am no-!” She cut herself off, her indignant reaction making the young woman lift her head and trapping her within the very eyes she was  _ trying so hard  _ (and failing) to avoid getting lost in. 

“Katara.” The simple way he said her name had her melting further into the plush mattress of her bed, her stomach a mess of fluttering feelings. He was so earnest and she was so enraptured with the way he made her feel, the easy way he made her fall in love with him. 

“What do you want to hear? I think about a lot of stuff…” Katara began dismissively, eyes flitting about and looking at anything but  _ him _ . The bronze toned woman nervously ran a hand through her wavy hair, paused only by a larger, arrow decorated hand. Her wide eyes met his own almost involuntarily as their contrasting skin tones wrapped together, watching him closely as his lips softly kissed her fingers. 

“I think a lot about us…” She found herself admitting, teeth biting softly into the skin of her bottom lip and feeling very vulnerable. There was something about his imploring grey eyes, the way he held her, the miniscule amount of space between them and the time of night that always had her feeling more honest, more open.

“What do you think about us right now?” Aang asked softly, voice barely above a whisper. 

“I think _you’re_ utterly ridiculous-” She sounded so _breathy_ , Katara remarked to herself. Even as she tried to teasingly change the subject, there was no hiding that he took her breath away, and all without lifting a single finger. 

“And I think  _ you’re  _ still stalling.” He cut her scoffing reply off with a laugh. 

Throughout their time together, the young airbender began to understand his precious waterbender all the better. She liked to come across a certain way; poised and in control of her emotions. 

But, Katara was  _ all _ too like the element she commanded. 

Shy and bold at the same time, somehow… The Water Tribe native could be a peaceful, healing lapping of waves in one second and in the next, the most brutal of tsunamis. The young Avatar eventually realized that he was able to break down Katara’s walls in a way that totally disarmed her. 

They had long, honest talks about what they meant to each other after that kiss on the balcony of Jasmine Dragon, baring their concerns and wishes for the other under the blanket of night. She had once told him it was unnerving for her to have someone know her in such a deep way. When they were younger, it scared her so much that she had shut herself off from these feelings, from  _ him _ . Though they were older now, her intense emotions for him still overwhelmed her sometimes.

For lack of a better term, she felt embarrassed by them. 

Not of being with him, of course, but he noticed that she would sometimes shirk away from the obvious, intense emotions their relationship brewed within her. He learned in time, that while she was push and pull, she needed the freedom to explore how she felt.

She needed air. 

“I’m all ears.” He nuzzled against her nose with his own, stroking the top of her hair as he did. His eyes bore into hers, dripping with unbidden admiration.

When he looked at her in that way, all of her pretenses fell away. The pressure she would place on herself lifted and all she could feel is this swelling, lifting feeling of love and being loved. She would be bombarded with just how fascinated she was by him. Amazed by the way he lived his life and even more amazed by how eagerly he wanted to share his life with her. 

“I think I’m really lucky to have met you,” She began softly, the words tumbling out like a waterfall. Her hand untangled from his own and found its way to his defined, chiseled jaw as he rubbed up and down the length of her side. 

“I think about how you hold me and how I’ve never felt more at home anywhere else but in your arms. Not even in my village...,” She trailed off as she briefly transported back in time to the first day they met. Her heart leapt at the memory of his grey eyes shimmering, focused entirely on her. Katara realized, breath hitching involuntarily, his focus on her hadn’t wavered since then, even with all their added responsibilities.

“I think about how much we’ve grown together, how much  _ more  _ we have to grow together…” She paused for a bit and chewed at the inside of her cheek, her flush deepening as she prepared herself for what she was about to say, “...I think about getting married, living together… having children…”

The admission lingered in the air, settling over the couple lying side by side as they faced each other, eyes searching eyes. They’d talked about getting married before, that wasn’t new, but it was always in passing, a far off thought… This seemed… so much more direct, somehow. Poignant. Blue looked into Grey, the deep sea meeting a never ending sky, still and waiting. Aang’s soft smile remained.

“I think about that, too.”

“Yeah?” The young woman asked, relief evident in her tone. The question was accompanied by a rush of air that tickled along the airbender's nose, “That's not too silly, is it? I’m not getting ahead of myself?”

Katara  _ knew _ how much Aang loved her. She loved him just as much! But... he was young, she was young, and they’d only ever been with each other, only had eyes for each other! While  _ she  _ knew she wanted no one else… Katara couldn’t help but worry sometimes… 

Could they  _ actually _ last? 

Aang was a  _ guy  _ after all, albeit unlike any other man she had ever met. However, in her experience (or rather the detailed stories of heartbreak she’d heard around her small village) most men didn’t typically marry their first girlfriend. It was a lot of pressure being the “one and only,” a romance trope she daydreamed about all too often in the South Pole and was now actually living. 

While the young man was (more than) adamant about his affections, even in the brief period way before they’d started dating, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever regretted not dating around… She wouldn’t blame him if he did. 

Anything could change.

“Well, I mean,” Aang began with a shrug, those same smiling eyes and smooth voice pulling her out of her pondering, “You basically told me that you think about that stuff when you told me about the vision you had in Yu Dao.” 

He spared her a quick look filled with mischief, dissolving her mental defenses once more as her worries abated for now.

“Plus, I  _ distinctly _ remember a certain someone from this little town called Hira’a saying young lovers like us are lucky to be together and know what we want.” The memory softened his smile as he gazed at the woman in front of him with an unwavering amount of love. It was then that a tantalizing thought occurred to him.

“Any other visions lately?” The young Avatar teased.

Her breath quickened slightly, the vivid image of a temple on an island nearby flashed in her mind at the question. Katara’s widened gaze gave her away immediately.

“Wait, really?” Aang asked enthusiastically. He barely needed a verbal admission, her reaction was more than answer enough. “When?” The airbender was practically vibrating.

This was  _ too _ good. All that time he spent pining after her, he felt more than a little justified and entirely too giddy at the fact that  _ Katara _ was the one to have these romantic visions about them. She was right, of course. In the end, he  _ really _ just liked that she seemed to think about him as much as he did about her. 

“On the island…” The girl in question, continued tentatively, avoiding his gaze. She loved his eyes, loved looking at him because his emotions displayed so easily on his face. Aang never bothered to conceal his expressions, (unless he truly felt he needed to) especially around her. Sometimes, though, his sincerity was a bit much for her to take... 

“What did you see?” He pressed on, inching his face closer to hers in his enthusiasm.

“Aang…” She shrunk into herself, more than a little flustered.

“Katara, please.” He ducked his head in order to catch her fluttering gaze, lightly squeezing her hip to catch her gaze once more, “I’m curious, I can’t help it,” The airbender chuckled warmly.

“I… I don’t want to offend you…” She finally brought her eyes back to his, filled with apprehension as they were. He had to raise his eyebrow at that, face twisting into one of genuine confusion.

“Why would you offend me?”

It was then that Aang realized just  _ how _ nervous his girlfriend was. She was acting in a way that only happened when she was utterly unsure of herself and the situation she found herself in. Katara was human, of course. She had her own share of shortcomings (she had a temper that rivaled a moose lion’s, she could be overbearing, and though the Water Tribe native would never admit it, but she got jealous, like, a lot), like everyone else, but the waterbending master rarely  _ doubted _ in herself, righteous as she was. Clearly, this vision, whatever she saw, fazed her in a way that shook her to her very core. All remnants of teasing drained from his face as he looked at the waterbender in concern. 

“Sweetie, what is it?”

“It’s…” A start, then a steadying, if shaky breath, “It’s about what you said…” The anxious girl went on slowly, “...about claiming the island as an Air Nomad Landmark…”

The airbender couldn’t hide his surprise at that (even though he tried), brows raised and eyes widening involuntarily. He would be lying if he said he himself wasn’t feeling apprehensive at the moment. However, he did his best to shake off the shock in order to comfort her. The young woman bit her lip, a nervous habit of hers he’d noticed long before now and only served to prove her anxiety. Aang spared her a look of reassurance as best as he could, taking in his own grounding breath. 

“...Okay.”

The look of disquiet only deepened on her countenance, caught as she was in between sharing her vision for his scrutiny or keeping it safe to herself. Aang wasn’t one to be judgemental. On the contrary, he was probably the most understanding person she knew. Still, Katara very much felt like she was standing in front of a jury rather than lying in bed with her boyfriend. Possibly beacuse this wasn’t just about her, or just Aang, or just  _ them _ . Her vision was about the Air Nomad culture, just as much as it was about their future. Somehow, admitting that felt...wrong… 

It felt selfish and intrusive. 

Aang represented the _ whole _ of his nation; what right did she, a girl from the Southern Water Tribe, have to these revelations? In his playful questioning, her simple (wonderfully prophetic) daydream had turned into an action she wasn’t even sure was a crime, but definitely felt like one...

“Keep going, Katara, please.” Noticing her distress, the pale teenager kissed her lips lightly as a comforting gesture. He did so once, twice before feeling some of her stress slip away. The young man then trailed his lips along the satiny skin of her right cheek up to her ear, 

“I want to hear what you have to say.”

She shivered and closed her eyes, his voice soothing her almost instantly, even as she felt him pull away slowly to properly look at her. This was  _ Aang _ . She could always confide in him. She kept her eyes shut, immersing herself in recalling the flashing images behind her lids as she dove into description, 

“In my vision, I saw a temple on the island. An Air Temple.” She said all in one rushing breath, opening her eyes to look directly into his grey irises, 

“And  _ we  _ built it.” 

A tentative smile found its way to her lips, remembering just how  _ happy _ having the vision made her feel. She could only hope that she’d be as happy as she looked in her reverie... “The whole island… It was home to Air Acolytes and Air Nomad tradition and… and to us. It was so beautiful, Aang…”

She took a moment to indulge herself in the romanticism of it all, never noticing how her smile widened with each word she said. She played absently with the pendant of her necklace, looking to her mother’s spirit for the strength to continue, “That island… I saw us building our life together there…”

“Really?” The airbender asked, a bit breathlessly. He always wondered how she was able to do that, and just as quickly as the thought would occur to him, he found he didn’t care. Katara could take his breath, his heart, his  _ everything _ and he wouldn’t care.

Not as long as she’d take him, too.

The young woman nodded in affirmation, her movements jerky with anxiety as she awaited his verdict.

And suddenly, he laughed, loud, light and unbidden. Once he got a handle on his laughter and saw the glare his girlfriend was throwing at him, he almost fell into another fit before asking devilishly, “What happened to ‘one step at a time,’ Sweetie?”

Katara sputtered at that, not really sure what she was expecting at the confession, but… really? Did he _always_ have to rib her like so? Couldn’t he be serious for more than _three seconds_?

“Well-! You asked!” She found herself replying petulantly, a bright rosy blush painted across her cheeks.

“I’m only joking,  _ dear _ .” As quickly as the teasing air around him had dispersed earlier, it was back in full force. This was what she was worried about? She really needed to realize that sharing these visions she had with him only made him more excited for the future.

_ Their  _ future.

“Don’t even-!”

He yanked her closer to him, her reprimand turning into a surprised yelp as the taller of the two pulled their bodies flush together. Chest to Chest. Nose to Nose. The already limited amount of space between them became virtually non-existent, effectively cutting off whatever exasperated retort the blue eyed girl had been about to say.

“Have I ever told you how much I like your visions, Katara?” The low timbre of his voice caused a shiver to run down her spine, right to her center.

Before she had a chance to answer, he took his lips in hers and the two relaxed into each other, her hands lightly cradling his face after a moment. They moved their mouths softly against each other as Aang positioned his lithe body over Katara’s, his hand trailing down the length of her slim waist,

“Wanna know what I think about…?” He asked lowly, his breath grazing her ear before he nipped at it. He lifted his face to look directly at her shortly after, apparently awaiting a response. 

She suppressed a whine at his actions, her boyfriend was a relentless  _ tease.  _

“Considering how you’re looking at me, I think I might have an idea…” She smiled slyly, securely wrapping her arms around his neck.  _ ‘Two could play at this game.’  _ The waterbender thought, impishly. It was more fun that way, anyway.

“I think about how much I need you in my life,” He continued undeterred, totally caught up in her essence, “I think about your smile,” He kissed her lips lightly, only for a moment. Then, his mouth began to travel along her curves.

“...About how you smell like river water, ginseng tea, and all the herbs you carry in your medicinal pack,” A kiss to the beating pulse point in her neck. A favorite spot of hers, if the soft noises emanating from the young woman was any indication. He could feel how fast the blood was pumping through her, her  _ anticipation _ , “I think about your body…” He let both of his hands explore the expanse of her torso as he said this, his large palms and slender fingers barely grazing the underside of her breasts.

“Mmm, those don't sound like very monk-like thoughts, Aang…” She sighed, beside herself as the warmth in the lowest part of her stomach began to spread like a blaze within her. The teasing remark, meant to goad the man above her, served only to keep her wits about her as the airbender in question continued to kiss her neck and grip at her muscular thighs.

“Ah, you see, Sweetie,” Here, a kiss to her collarbone, his teeth lightly biting the protruding feature, “This was a common misconception about the Air Nomads,” The arrow clad boy admitted casually, his full attention on drawing more of those faint sounds from the beauty beneath him, “While, yes, we called ourselves monks and nuns, my people were  _ far _ from abstinent… ”

She knew this already, of course, but this game they were playing was just far  _ too fun  _ to quit.

Especially since it occurred nearly every other night. 

They were  _ really  _ good at this game. Experts, even.

“Really, now…” Her leg hitched about his hip, the fabric of their pants shifting comfortably against heated skin. “Sounds fascinating…” A hitch of breath, followed by a sigh, “You should tell me more about it sometime...” She let out a low, drawn out moan as he kissed the shell of her ear once more, letting his tongue run along the length of it. She arched into him languidly, his hand settling under the knee of her raised leg as energy bolted through her.

“How about I show you instead?” Another quick, playful nip to her collarbone. His large palm rested at the hem of her undershirt… “Right now.”

“Please...”

They sat up together, Aang straddling Katara as the two took a moment to roll her top off together. Her white chest wrappings seemed to glow in the low light given off by the lone fire lit lamp. The airbender settled them back against the comfort of the mattress, one hand losing itself in the thick curtain of her hair while the other slid along the freed expanse of her smooth, deep skin. His soft, rosy lips took a long, sensual path to the valley between her breasts, kissing and nipping all the while. 

* * *

Their relationship had dipped into this physical territory about a year or so ago, escalating after they’d found Zuko’s mother. They’d touched each other intimately before then, light touches on sensual areas, but never took the plunge together until about a year and a half ago. 

It started out innocently enough, wanting to be as close and vigilant as possible with Azula around. It was hardly the most romantic of atmospheres, but the trip had them seriously pondering about their own connection as they sought to mend the divide between siblings and reunite mother and son. 

The morning they realized Azula ran off into Forgetful Valley, they’d stayed in the small village of Hira’a to keep lookout for a day or two before their impending departure back to the Fire Nation Palace. As the days went on, with no sight of the delusional Fire Nation Princess and a slightly lowered sense of urgency (though one did always have to be careful where Azula was concerned), the minds of the two lovelorn teens wandered and soon, their hands followed.

They’d both heard an earful the next morning from a certain Water Tribe Warrior with a penchant for  _ never  _ knocking and walking in at the  _ absolute worst time _ .

“I’ve heard and seen a lot more from either of you than any big brother should be subject to.” 

Sokka stated in annoyance as they packed up their stuff and helped Ursa and her family onto the Fire Nation ship that arrived that morning. The younger sibling retorted under her breath that he wouldn't have had to see  _ anything _ if he’d just  _ knock _ . Naturally, the two fell into an argument about Katara’s sisterly duties. Sokka convinced that she was doing a  _ crap _ job of upholding them and his sister, pressing the importance of respecting  _ closed doors _ .

“Look, what you two do together in your personal time is none of my business and I’d  _ love _ to keep it that way,” He placated before grimacing, “But, good grief, couldn’t you have waited till we got back to the palace? There’s like A HUNDRED ROOMS there for you to do... _ that _ and I’d never have to know!”

The waterbender merely scoffed, before shoving past him and walking up the ship’s ramp, Aang following behind her while rubbing at the back of his head. He threw a wide sheepish grin at the older sibling, feeling guilty of nothing but forgetting to lock the door after sneaking into Katara’s room.

The small house that the family lived in was moderately destroyed during Azula’s attack, and even amidst the repairs, no one really felt comfortable sleeping there. So they had all slept in an inn nearby as they waited for the arrival of the ship that would be taking them back to the Palace City. Poor Sokka, who had slept in the room across from Katara’s, was surprised that neither she nor Aang had woken up yet. Which was odd, as the two were the first usually up and about. The swordsman, emulating the good samaritan he was, took it upon himself to check in on them, starting with Katara. He opened her door, only to be rewarded with an eyeful of naked bodies belonging to his best friend and his sister. He gawked at them as they scrambled to cover themselves, ungluing himself from the doorway only once Katara started throwing a series of increasingly detrimental items, all aimed directly at Sokka’s head. 

The truth of the matter was that they probably  _ could _ have waited.

But they hadn’t  _ wanted _ to.

In Aang and Katara’s humble opinion, they’d waited long enough. They’d waited for a never-ending war to end just to be together. 

They were way past waiting.

They just wanted to be with each other, as conceivably close as possible, and show the other just how  _ deeply _ their love for each other ran. Why wait?

* * *

Katara took in a sharp intake of breath as Aang’s warm mouth sucked on her raised nipple. The young man had removed her wrappings moments before, quickly and deftly in order to taste her silky skin. Her hands pushed his tattooed head further into her frame, the skin of her breast rounding in the most scintillating of ways. 

“Aang…” The waterbender moaned in arousal as his hand rolled her other nipple between his long fingers, pinching and tugging lightly as he lavished her with attention. 

She arched into him suddenly, his love bites on her chest inciting the sensual reaction from her. He kissed her bosom softly before moving up and taking her mouth with his own. The dark skinned girl groped at his defined back as she licked his bottom lip languorously before feeling his own tongue enter her mouth. The two moved their lips against each other heatedly as Katara seductively wrapped both of her legs around him now, the weight of his erection settling against her groin. The airbender continued to caress one breast as his other hand made a trail towards her pants, halting at the top of them. He separated their lips, though not without a protesting groan from the girl beneath him.

“Can I-?”

“I swear, Aang, if you don’t take these clothes off of me right now-” Katara was cut off by a short laugh, quickly followed by a quick kiss to her lips. He moved down the length of her body, sparing another quick peck to the skin beneath her navel.

“Eager, aren’t we?” He looked up to her as he began to strip her of her bottoms and wrappings all in one motion. An all-too-pleased-with-himself smile plastered to his features and directed towards her, stoking the fire within her all the more.

She was done playing around. 

“I want you.” 

The brown-skinned girl could practically see the shift in his demeanor at her words. 

This was a part of Aang that she was grateful to be privy to. Everyone had access to the authoritative, fair Avatar and the friendly, chipper Aang that was her boyfriend. She had found peace in sharing those parts of him with the world long ago.

But, this Aang?

This dominant,  _ sexy _ , take charge man who was eagerly kissing the soft, supple skin of her thighs...

He was all  _ hers. _

“ _ Haaahuh _ ,” His deft tongue had parted the slick heat of her folds and she bucked her hips in his direction, hoping to bring his mouth just that much closer to where she wanted him most. 

“I want you, too...” His voice was so  _ deep _ , and his mouth was so  _ hot _ , Katara could only grasp at the sheets beneath her. The pale light of the moon played softly on his fair skin as he gripped her hips, angling her upwards in order to dive deeper, moving his head side to side and thoroughly enjoying the noises of pure arousal spilling out of his waterbender.

“ _ Yes! _ ” Pressure began to build quickly within her, her boyfriend knowing just how to play her as if she were an instrument. He had put in hours of practice, after all. His fingers grazed her folds as he continued to lavish her clit with his tongue, his nose nuzzling against the coarse, dark hair that decorated her skin.

He would never tire of pleasuring her this way, no matter how much his jaw protested. It would be stiff in the morning, but that was the least of his worries at the moment.

“Ffff- Sweetie,  _ please…! _ ” Katara had wrapped one hand around his head and arched into him, pushing him further into her as her other hand remained tightly gripping at the sheets.

“You’re so beautiful, Katara,” He said in between pumping his fingers into her and kissing her inner folds, “So wet…”

“Only for you,” She keened, her hips twisting uncontrollably. She was so  _ close.  _ “Just for you…” 

Her breath was shaky, coming in and out in short spurts as each one was veiled with a moan more powerful than the last.

He twisted his fingers in her in the way she’d shown him, the way she  _ liked so much-!  _ “Come, Sweetie.” He commanded offhandedly, as if it were the simplest, most natural thing. 

And with him, it was. 

“Come for me.”

She moaned loudly, her hips grinding down into his mouth as her breasts heaved and bounced lightly at her impending release. Her body holding out for the one thing that would bring everything crashing down around her in the most pleasurable of disasters.

He lifted her legs higher onto his shoulders, his unoccupied hand groping her shapely behind. The more elevated angle allowed his tongue and fingers to drive deeper into her core and she unraveled around him. The stars collapsed out of the sky and fell behind the tightness of her eyes. She couldn’t hear the sound of her own sobbing voice, lost in the sensation of the world fading around her. She could only feel  _ him _ , his tongue, his touch…

“Fuck!” 

Katara rarely swore, but Aang could hardly ignore just how much it turned him on when she did. Especially as she came undone at his hand.

He enthusiastically lapped at her slick folds, his fingers slowing their frantic pace as she grew wetter with her release. He covered her mouth with his free hand as she came, barely considering the other residents within the apartment and mostly wanting to keep those delicious noises she made for himself. 

As she calmed, he kissed his way up her body, before settling on her lips, the taste of herself fresh on his own. That tidbit of knowledge always served to stoke the ever growing blaze in the pit of her belly, long after it was supposed to be quelled by her dousing release. No matter how many times they did this, Katara found that she was ready and willing for more.

“Do you want to-?”

“Get inside me already.”

He didn’t need to be told twice.

They removed his pants and undergarments together, tossing them into some random area of his room, to be forgotten with the rest of their clothing til morning. She admired him as he hovered above her on his knees, his powerful, thick thighs on display while his leaking erection stood at attention. At that moment, Katara was struck, not for the first time, by just how much he’d grown. He laid atop her once again, his elbows framing her head as the muscles in his biceps contracted slightly under his weight. Dark grey eyes bore into deep blue as the lower halves of their bodies positioned themselves to meet.

“I love you.” He said simply, looking every bit amazed at the talented, vivacious woman in his arms.

“I love you, too.” She replied lovingly, taking her hands and bringing his lips to hers in a sweet kiss.

And he entered her, replacing where his fingers had been only moments before and filling her in only the way he could.

“Oh,  _ Sweetie… _ ”

The couple took a brief moment to relish in being, totally, completely, and wholly together. Then, Aang began to move his hips; slowly, pulling out of her, the tip of his member remaining within her before smashing their centers together once more. Katara arched upward at the action, knuckles pale from her grip on his shoulders as her breasts slid against his chest sinfully.

“ _ Katara… _ ” The airbender groaned as he found a rhythm that was quickly bringing them both to their tipping point. Her tight, clenching entrance gripped around his hard appendage, and Aang could see stars. They twinkled in and out of his vision as he continued to pump into her, “You feel so good-!” __

“Mmm, yeah, Sweetie, just like that-!... Oh,  _ Aaannng... _ ” At her encouragement, his strokes became more powerful, driving into her with abandon. He was a lot closer to finishing than he'd like to admit. It had been awhile since they had the time to be intimate like this, with their recent travels. Determined to bring her to that blissful place he was close to reaching, he shifted his weight from his elbow to his knees, lifting her legs from his hips to his shoulders as he did so, his hand rubbing at her bundle of nerves vigorously. The shift in position and the addition of his fingers had her throwing her head back in pleasure. She moaned, unbidden, as he brushed against a deep part of her that had her almost screaming, “Oh,  _ rightthereYes!” _

He drove himself into her fiercely as her hips undulated with the same passion, looking to milk the other for all they were worth. Then, they fell into oblivion together, the tight coil of control snapping as Katara’s second orgasm of the night and Aang’s first ripped through them; threatening to tear at the seams of their very being.

They stayed connected, truly and completely flush against the other as they came down from their highs, breathing harshly into each other from their labor. He slipped out of the tight embrace of her center after a while, rolling off of her to rest next to her before wrapping his arms around her. He guided her head to his chest and kissed the top of her hair absentmindedly. The feel of her skin heaven against his own. Without warning, the airbender found himself overcome with laughter, the sound muffled and stolen into the dark thickness of Katara’s tresses. 

“I’m not sure I should even ask, but  _ please _ tell me what is so funny.”

“Nothing,” He said none too innocently, a sly grin on his face she glanced up at him, “Just that if you’re gonna keep having these visions and you telling me them means we end up like this…” He paused, dramatically, before chuckling lightly and wiggling his eyebrows, “Let’s just say, I wanna hear about every single vision, thought, daydream-”

“Ugh, you are such a  _ guy! _ ” She remarked indignantly, turning away from him so her back was facing him. He  _ literally _ had just finished in her. Wasn’t there some code somewhere about when and where boyfriends could tease their girlfriends? More importantly, where was the rule on how they couldn't do so  _ literally two minutes after having sex? _

He wrapped his arms around her, once more, undeterred by her actions. He nuzzled into the velvet softness that was her hair, kissing her neck briefly as his pale skin contrasted against her mocha colored body familiarly.

“Love you too, Sweetie.”

Of course, Katara could never be upset with him for too long. As much of a tease as he was, there was no doubting how much the young airbender was a romantic at heart. She reached behind her to graze his face with her delicate fingers, turning her face to kiss his forehead and then his lips a moment thereafter. The two of them settled into the sheets, skin to skin, feeling safe and cared for. And though she wouldn’t admit it right then, on the verge of sleep as she was...

Katara looked forward to her next vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent alot time with this chapter, mostly because I was trying to find a nice balance between realistic romantic expectations and the literaly fairytale that these two live. I'm quite happy with it and I hope you enjoyed! Continue to stay safe out there. Like, comment, bookmark and all that good stuff too!


	4. Moments Before Cleaning Up The Beach...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Katara is very much not a morning person, and Aang's power of persuasion proves to be OP once more. Also, Finally, Sokka and Toph!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So currently, I am writing and posting in chronological order of the events of the "Imbalance" series. I have a good idea of all the pockets of moments I want to write for, but I am open to prompts! Everything up until chapter 8 (unless I get another stroke of inspiration from a re-read) will follow the series timeline, anything after that is extra. I say all that to preface that this chapter is the morning after the last chapter, in which tender vanilla smut occurred. However, if you are uncomfortable with smut, the previous chapter isn’t necessary to read to follow the storyline of this one. That chapter was mostly just indulgence in the romantic intimacy between Katara and Aang and exploration of Katara's vision and how’d they feel about it. It’s all fluff and domesticity this chapter😤
> 
> Anyways, Four chapters in and we finally get some Toph and Sokka action! They’re super fun to write, shenanigans ensue, as is only natural. Okay, that was a mouthful. Enjoy and I hope y’all are continuing to stay safe out there!

_Moments before cleaning up the beach..._

Waking up was always a slow, sluggish process for the young waterbending master.

A sleepy smile wound its way onto Katara’s face; fluttering kisses littered along her bare shoulder as she absently remarked the deep, honey-like voice that accompanied the airbender at her side. The slumbering girl was much more focused on the melodic, husky tone he spoke with, rather than the fact that he was faintly calling her name. The sound of it seeming to come from far away; whispering at the edge of her consciousness and not quite registering, much like a dream... She settled into his warmth, reveling in the feeling of being in his arms and quietly remarking to herself that no dream could live up to the reality she was living. 

Though, she could very well keep trying. It’d been so long since she’d slept in an _actual bed…_

Sighing in content and on the verge of falling back into the sweet embrace of slumber, Katara nestled further into her pillow of choice, her boyfriend. Suddenly, however, she felt said boyfriend pillow pull away from her. She watched through barely open eyes as he sauntered over to the window and drew open the curtains, allowing entrance to the delicate light of the young sun barely peeking over the horizon.

“Aang…?” She grumbled, absently fingering the now vacant spot where his body was. The young woman noticed that her boyfriend (who was _supposed_ to be letting her use him as a pillow) was dressed and looking very much like he wasn’t going to be returning to bed anytime soon, to her dismay. 

“Good morning, Katara,” The airbender answered in a wistful tone, gifting her with a warm smile that was _almost_ enough to forgive him for being awake at such an ungodly hour. Almost. He then turned his attention back to the languidly brightening horizon, idly massaging the tightness out of his jaw as he did so.

Said waterbender wrapped the sheets tighter around her form, moaning sleepily, “Is it even actually morning?”

Aang let out a sharp bark of laughter, then shook his head in amusement before answering, “Yes, the sun’s just now rising…” His smile was filled with melancholy, grey eyes never moving from their steady gaze on the horizon. 

Katara was _not_ a morning person. 

As a waterbender and South Pole native, the blue eyed girl much preferred the company of her friend the Moon, the night sky and the billions of constellations that resided there. She was used to getting up early, no doubt, due to the chores her Gran-Gran had her attend to when her small village in the south was the only home she’d ever known. 

Then, after meeting Aang (and, subsequently, finding a home in him), their group usually got an early start in order to make the most of their travel time and keep ahead of the Fire Nation Army. The habit stuck somewhat after the war as they often camped around while traveling for diplomatic reasons. Even so, she was never up before daybreak, unless _absolutely_ necessary (like, _our-lives-are-in-danger_ necessary). If she had it her way, she would sleep in a few hours after sunrise and start her day as leisurely as possible. 

No, Katara did not enjoy waking up to an inky, purple sky; lined with the slightest hint of fiery orange, unlike a _certain_ Avatar (who obliged the firebender in him by rising with the sun). 

Though, this particular morning, the usual cheery energy he used to greet the day was subdued.

Noticing his pensive tone and knowing full well that once he was up, she had to be as well (to her _continued_ annoyance), she sighed in resignation then asked, 

“Have you been up long?” Her question was covered with a yawn as the bronze toned girl stretched along the length of the bed, joints popping pleasurably.

“No. Only for ‘bout half an hour.” He paused briefly, then added thoughtfully, “I have been thinking a lot though…”

“Mm-hm?” Prompting the pensive young man to continue. She would have offered more but the sheets were just so _soft_ and the low, rich tenor of her Aang’s voice was always sooo _soothing…_ She couldn’t help sinking further into the comfort of it all.

“And you were right-...”

“I usually am,” She quipped airily, smiling to herself briefly. Apparently, she was awake _just_ enough to still poke fun at the contemplative airbender. 

Aang was rarely so… _somber_ , especially in the mornings. Sure, his routine did usually consist of activities that required a more solemn attitude, such as prayer and meditation. Yet, even so, the young man always seemed to wake up with boundless amounts of energy and a ready-to- take-on-the-day attitude. 

This morning was… different. 

The waterbender yawned once more before groaning and throwing a pillow over her face,“Can’t I be right when the sun is actually up, though?” If it weren't for her incessant need to be a supportive and attentive girlfriend, she would still happily be asleep right now… The half-asleep girl wasn’t exactly sure who to be annoyed at; herself or him.

“Haha,” The tattooed teen laughed dryly at her muffled complaint, sparing her a wry smile she couldn’t see, “I meant about the island and all the other temples, though. We’ve gotta start small and take it step by step.”

The young Avatar’s focus had yet to shift from introspectively peering out the window, the look on his face suddenly shifting from contemplative to resolute as he went on.

“But also, I want to show Cranefish Town that no matter how much progress happens, nature deserves to be respected and protected. That’s a huge task, too. And it’s something I need to do before trying to preserve the island in the name of the Air Nomads.”

That woke Katara up. 

She gingerly removed the pillow from her face and sat up slowly. The adamance of his tone slightly alerted her and filled her with tension. Her heart was thumping heavily in her chest all of a sudden, her body prepared to fight off the demons that seemed to follow Aang wherever he went. 

Why else would he be bringing up the Air Nomads…? 

“So, what are you suggesting?” She asked softly, carefully. 

The mentioning of his bygone people always put Katara on edge, despite her best intentions. 

The waterbender knew there was no way she could ever replace what he lost. That didn’t stop her from desperately wanting to be there for him in any way he needed. She’d always wanted to repay him for the hope he instilled in her, the legends and stories her grandmother weaved about the Avatar and their power keeping her warm and providing light to the long nights. 

Katara had always believed in the Avatar.

But _Aang_ , (her first friend, her _best_ friend) being the Avatar was more than the South Pole native could have ever asked for. 

She was always grateful to whatever spirit that had caused their paths to cross that day… Even somewhat grateful to her brother for stoking her ire and causing her to reveal the iceberg that encased the airbender. More importantly, she’d always wanted to, somehow, repay the effervescent boy himself, just for being him. However, she found that she might not ever feel like she’s paid him back in full.

Still… 

Katara could only wish that she could fulfill some of his hopes too...

“I think… ” The toned, lanky teen began, pulling the Water Tribe woman out of her thoughts as he paused pensively. He then turned around to the blanket-cocooned girl with a large smile, finally ripping his gaze away from the skyline. 

“We should go to the beach!” He finished brightly, flipping out of his sober mood just as easily as he slipped into it. The moment had her faintly recalling the time her brother had said something along those same lines only a few, short days before Sozin’s Comet.

She could only blink owlishly at him.

“The beach?”

“Yeah!” He was at her side suddenly, the bed shifting under his weight. Katara idly wondered just where and how he was able to find this amount of energy so early in the morning. She was sleepy all over again, feeling the tension ooze out of her at Aang’s chipperness. He was _absurd, really_ . No one, no one but _her boyfriend_ , would take going to the beach this seriously. Katara was barely able to keep herself from rolling her eyes, but couldn’t help the pleasant smile that settled along her face. 

“There’s lots of trash and debris on the shoreline,” The arrow-tattooed teen went on, excited to share the thoughts that had been swirling in his head all morning with her. He grimaced momentarily, “I can’t imagine that it’s good for the water. Probably even worse to try and have fun when there’s a whole bunch of metal lying around for you to just hurt yourself on. Plus,” He shrugged carelessly before smiling determinedly, “It's something we can do _right now_ to help this place, even if it’s small.”

If it were perhaps sometime later in the day, Katara would have had the energy to be absolutely blown back by her generous airbender’s consideration and incredibly huge, kind heart. She might have even been able to spare a thought to how sweet and thoughtful he naturally was. But, as it stood, she could only remark on the earliness of the time and how he spent that time _thinking_ instead of _sleeping_ (or perhaps more importantly, instead of _snuggling her_ ).

“And you thought about _alllll_ that just before sunrise?” The brown skinned beauty covered her mouth as another yawn raked through her body, settling into a lounging position once more. She reached for his hand, aching for his touch even as she regarded him with a teasing grin.

“Yeah…” The pale, light skinned teen blushed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he held her smaller, graceful hand in his larger one, “Maybe I’ve been up longer than I thought...”

She shook her head at him, intertwining their fingers as a tired smile decorated her face. She looked at him from under lashes, slowly enacting a plan to get the handsome young man she had the privilege of calling her partner back in bed with her. The young woman released her hand from his to sensually caress the prominent bicep of his tone, muscular arm; admitting after a short beat of silence, “I think that your idea sounds great-”

“I knew you would, Sweetie!”

He pulled her up by the wrists, enthusiastically bringing her to an upright position. The blankets the lethargic girl previously found herself wrapped in slipped down her figure and pooled around her waist as he cut her off, effectively foiling her plan before she even had the chance to properly set it in motion. 

That airbender was sometimes just too fast for his own good. 

Just as quickly as he appeared by her on the bed, he raised himself off of it to flitter about the room, He collected her day wear, chattering excitedly as he did so; unknowingly leaving the waterbender to retreat back underneath the sheets. She figured it’d be worth it to try and steal a few more winks while he was distracted. 

“Let’s go ahead and get Toph and Sokka up then. Better to start now!” The bald teen babbled on, searching for the long strip of cloth that kept her outfit together, 

“That way we can get as much done today as possible. Don’t say anything to the others though, no matter how much they ask! I want it to be a surprise!” He finished off his rattling with a sound of triumph as he located her sash, turning to his beloved only to see her virtually unmoved. He leveled the lump that was his girlfriend with an unamused glare.

“Mmn, you got it babe...” She lazily raised a thumbs up from out of the covers she re-cocooned herself in, purposely blocking out the rising sunlight. Katara hadn’t made a single move to get up and wasn’t planning to anytime soon. Aang rolled his eyes, slightly exasperated. Sure it was early, but at this point she should’ve been awake! At least, she _usually_ was. Either way, did they seriously have to go through this _every morning_?

“Katara. Come on, get up. I’m serious.” He shifted his weight to one side, hand cocking on his hip in an expectant manner while his other held her clothes. The Katara-sized lump remained motionless.

“Yup, I totally hear ya.”

“Katara.” He took a step towards her, travelling the length of the room slowly to give her a chance to leave the bed on her own. Of course, safe (or so she thought) underneath the covers as she was, the blanketed teen couldn't see him or the wicked, toothy grin forming upon his features.

“Hmm?” 

Aang sighed greatly, as if the task he set out to do would take a lot out of him. Honestly? The waterbender only brought this upon herself, “I didn’t wanna do this, but you leave me no choice...”

Katara suddenly felt the full weight of the airbender on top of her, trapping the girl between the mattress and his body (which was heavier than most thought, the boy was pure _muscle_ , after all). He cleverly wound his way through the tangled mass of sheets, searching for the most sensitive parts of her skin. To her knowledge, the young woman’s previous plan to lure him back to bed had worked perfectly without her even having to lift a finger. She, however, would see that her boyfriend was enacting his own agenda that contradicted her own soon enough.

“I don’t know if this is doing a very good job of getting me out of bed, Sweetie,” She couldn’t help but to rub her supposed victory in his face. She won so little when it came to this silly game of theirs. Usually the one to give in first, Katara found that she couldn’t actually sleep for much longer once Aang was out of bed, “In fact, you just got back iN-! _AANG!_ ”

The dark haired girl tore the sheets off of her and, consequently, shoved the tattooed boy off of her as she sat up abruptly. She was only a _little_ disappointed that he had managed to airbend himself safely to standing as opposed to crashing to the floor, _‘Damn airbender reflexes…’_

“Did you just _pinch_ me?!” She accused, standing in front of him just as he situated himself back to his feet and shoving a finger into his chest.

“Drastic measures, Sweetie. Drastic measures,” Aang said cooly, recollecting her clothes that had sprawled across the mattress in the midst of their little skirmish. He offered the articles gently to her with an air of finality. She was out of bed at this point, so there was no point in going back now. Katara knew he had her beat, the smirk on his face was telling and infuriating all at the same time.

“Ugh, can’t you go-! Wake up Sokka and Toph or something and then come back to get me!?” The bronze-skinned girl questioned petulantly. Despite her words, she snatched her clothing from him, regarding the cloth of her chest wrappings with a disgruntled pout. 

She had already lost this battle. She knew that… 

It still didn’t stop her from trying to return to the delicious lull of dreamland she was already lamenting. The slow brightening from deep indigo to a true blue mocked her as Aang addressed her; the sunniness of his smile almost more blinding than the actual luminary itself.

“No can do, Sweetie,” He stated matter of factly before raising his hand to count off with his fingers, “One, I’m not falling for that, and two… you’re the only one who can wake up Toph,” He finished off abashedly. 

Aang usually had no problem getting the two Water Tribe siblings that traveled with him to arouse from slumber. His earthbending companion, however… was a completely different story. The airbender could easily handle sleepy grumblings and half-formed insults, but drew the line at boulders being chucked at his head and several other fragile body parts. 

Katara leveled him with an unconvinced glare, before resignedly sighing, “You mean I’m the only one _willing_ enough to wake up Toph.” The waterbender had encountered more than enough bruises (healed now, thanks to her ability) from previous attempts to back up her claim.

“Exactly!” The bald teen granted her with a loving kiss to the cheek before pointing to the clothes still in her arms (and not on her body). He nudged her lightly, “Come on, Sweetie.”

“Ugh, you are so _impossible!_ ” She huffed. Despite her apparent annoyance, she began to dress, conceding, finally, to her stubborn, energetic airbender. How dare he be so _sweet and persuasive?_

“Woohoo!” He twirled in the air, boosted by his element as he raised his fist in elation. She glowered at him in defiance, bitter that this always seemed to be a losing fight for her. That didn’t mean she had to make it _easy_ for him.

“Whoop again and I climb right back into that bed.” Even as she finished dressing, Katara moved to sit on the bed, making her empty threat all the more convincing. She was deterred only by a too-quick-for-his-own-good airbender. The clever teenager picked her up effortlessly and tossed her over his shoulder .

“Oh no, ya don’t.”

Katara flailed in his steady grip, surprised at the suddenness of the action more than anything else, “Ah! Aang! _Put me down!_ ”

Ignoring her cries and the weak attempts to wrangle herself out of his hold, said teen exited out into the hallway with the waterbender in tow. He cheerfully yelled down the expanse of the hall as he walked self-assuredly,

“Come on everyone! Time to wake up! We’ve got important Team Avatar stuff to do!”

“Aang! Put me down right now or so help me-!”

“Tsk tsk, Katara. You’re much better at negotiation than this! You know that threats don’t work on me.”

“I’ll work on you alright!”

The tall boy could only laugh loudly at that, the implications of her sentence finally settling on the waterbender and causing her to flush and shriek in embarrassment.

“SHUT. UP. OH MY GOD!”

Well, the hard part was over. They had woken up the young earthbending master and, for once, the deed wasn’t followed by a rock-a-lanche. Staying in the house that Lao provided for them continued to have it’s benefits, it seemed, one of them being that the blind girl was less likely to uproot it because the place belonged to her father.

“Look at that,” Aang remarked absently, stopping in front of the earthbender’s bedroom just before the end of the hall, “We woke up Toph. Good job, Sweetie.” He spared a light, congratulatory pat to her behind, all too proud of himself. 

“Couldn’t have done it without you, sweetie,” The waterbender deadpanned. Aang could practically feel her eyes rolling upward in sarcasm and the grin on his face only grew wider. Being the first up was no fun unless you used the time to wake up your friends, too, the tattooed teen had figured out _long_ ago. His nomad brothers, though much more used to early rising due to their morning rituals, had really acted no different than his girlfriend and friends did now.

The blind earthbender emerged into the hallway shortly after, slamming the door open, hair spiking up in every direction and very clearly agitated. She threw a glare in the couple’s general direction, her glazed eyes filled with annoyance. After all this time, Aang’s wake up calls were still as loud, invasive and impossible to sleep through as usual.

“Good morning, Toph!” Aang greeted the disgruntled girl in the same cheerful tone he had taken up since exiting Katara’s room. Said earthbender winced at the brightness in his voice, it was way _too early_ for that amount of pep.

“I hate you. Both of you.” She wiped tiredly at her eyes, rubbing the crust out of the corners as she did so, “This is why I didn’t travel with you crazies for a year.” The young girl crossed her arms moodily, expression as stony as the very element she wielded.

“Awww, come on, don’t be like that,” Aang cajoled his young Sifu lightheartedly. Katara, still positioned on his shoulder, glanced over curiously with her chin in her hand as the airbender leaned in to the youngest of them and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, “Now, you get to wake up Sokka.”

A silence stretched between the three of them, in which Aang finally placed Katara back on her feet. Said waterbender, threw him a glare which he returned with a disarming smile. She shook her head, letting out a light laugh. The couple turned their attention back to their earthbending companion, whose face had stretched out into a diabolical grin.

“You know me all too well, Twinkletoes.”

They watched the young, blind woman purposefully stomp down toward the aforementioned strategist’s room. Sparing the time to knock loudly twice only to kick the door in immediately after, causing it to fly off the hinges. The action was followed by a high-pitched scream of terror, courtesy of none other than the dozing warrior himself.

“Rise and shine, Snoozles!”

Aang and Katara burst out into unbidden laughter, leaning onto the other for support as the chortles raked through them. This day was shaping out to be a good one indeed.

“Anyone want to explain to me why they let Toph harass me at the ASSCRACK OF DAWN?!” Sokka unceremoniously tumbled out of his room, glaring towards the couple. Said earthbender followed after the rudely awakened Sokka shortly thereafter, a grin swallowing up the whole of her face. 

“No time, Sokka.” Aang raised a placating hand, a determined smile on his face. All his friends were awake! Now they could properly start the day, “Let's grab a quick bite to eat and then head out. I’ve got a surprise for everyone!”

“This surprise couldn’t wait till, oh i don’t know, _later_?” The eldest teen practically growled the last word through clenched teeth, grumpiness oozing from every part of him.

“Nope!”

“Of course, it couldn’t.” Sokka mumbled grouchily. Defeated, he returned into his room to dress quickly before making his way to the dining area they all shared, not without sparing the airbender a glare, of course. He was only met with the younger’s bright smile causing him to squint irritably from its blindingness and slink along down the hall.

“I’ll go get your tea ready,” Aang whispered quickly to Katara, kissing her briefly on the cheek before heading ahead of the group to the kitchen. The tea in question was something Iroh had slipped Aang after he had asked the wise ex-General for some particularly eye opening advice on, er, developing sexual relationships. Basically, it kept things from getting… _complicated_ before the two were ready. The older Water Tribe sibling rolled his eyes obnoxiously but did little more to acknowledge the exchange between his sister and the airbender.

After a short breakfast, Team Avatar exited out into the streets of Cranefish Town, the Avatar chipperly leading them as his three companions lagged behind drowsily, yawning and stretching along the way.

It was only a matter of time before Sokka or Toph began to ask questions as to exactly why they were up so early, but for now, Aang smiled to himself. Happy to bask in the burgeoning light of day with some of his favorite people in the world. The airbender knew, there was no better way to start off the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Remember to comment and like and all that good stuff. 
> 
> (Edit 10/11/20 Currently involved in alot of other projects and frankly lost the motivation to pan out and write the rest of what I had planned out for this. Consider this an ending for now, until inspiration strikes. Fatigue is a bitch. Either way I hope you had a nice time reading <3)


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